


Always

by Yuki_Frill



Series: Dark Claudia AU [2]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Calm Before The Storm, Claudia is Best Sister™, Father-Son Relationship, Favoritism at its finest, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Sibling Love, Soren needs love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-02-17 23:48:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21518443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yuki_Frill/pseuds/Yuki_Frill
Summary: Soren was happy for Claudia; he really was. But today was special for him, too. And for once, he wished his Father would be happy for him instead of making it all about Claudia. Again.Loose prequel to "Retribution"
Relationships: Claudia & Soren (The Dragon Prince), Claudia & Viren (The Dragon Prince), Soren & Viren (The Dragon Prince)
Series: Dark Claudia AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1513928
Comments: 6
Kudos: 70





	Always

**Author's Note:**

> S3 is coming very, very soon so I want to get this draft published today. I've written this since April/May but just gave it its finishing touch now. 
> 
> The last part would make more sense if you read my other work of this AU, Retribution, as this story is somewhat of its prequel, but the rest of it is pretty much understandable as long as you've watched both S1 and S2 :)

Soren might be brash on the outside, but he’d like to think that he expressed an ample amount of patience and affection towards his family.

He hadn’t seen many siblings that were as close as him and his sister, so he’d concluded long ago that he was a pretty awesome brother. And to his intelligent, charismatic Father? He felt nothing but respect and pride glowing warmly in his chest every time people addressed him as “Lord Viren’s son”.

On rare days, though, he’d feel less of that. Today was one of those days.

“How _dare_ you talk to your Father like that?” was what Viren said after a loud slap to his son’s cheek.

Soren was devastated. His breathing ragged as he shot a daring glare at his taller Father; something he usually had no guts to do. But today, he could go out of line because his Father did, too. Without saying anything or sparing a glance at his Father’s faltering form as he realized what he had done, Soren then stormed out of Viren’s study and slammed the door shut behind him. Only then did he notice the questioning look the guards patrolling in the hallway gave him.

“Whatcha looking at?” They exchanged nervous looks but said nothing. “Run along now!” Soren snapped before leaving to the courtyard. He needed a breath of fresh air.

But he couldn’t even get that, could he?

“Hey, Sor-bear,” Claudia had popped up out of nowhere when he reached the courtyard, poking him on the side with a grin on her face and a half-read book in hand. Her grin faded almost immediately when he faced her, though. “What happened to your face?” she asked, reaching for the bruise on his face but he jerked away.

Soren peered at his sister’s face and his blood boiled again from his conversation with his Father not ten minutes ago. So many hurtful words ran miles in Soren’s heads and all he wanted was to let his sister feel what he felt but a part of him knew she didn’t deserve it. In the end, he settled with, “I… don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Oh,” she masked her dejection well, although her eyes wandered unsurely. “That’s okay,” she reassured, smiling and trailing behind him when he began walking away. He knew he was not the epitome of subtlety when it came to expressing himself, but he wished Claudia could tell he wanted to be alone right about now.

Apparently she couldn’t; or she wouldn’t, as she kept trying to match his speed. Soren was about to yell at her to give him some space when she pulled his arm and led him to the nearest bench under the tree.

“What the heck, Claudia?” he couldn’t help the genuine displeasure in his tone leaking out from reflex and his sister flinched just a little.

“Stay here,” she requested, gesturing her hands in front of him when he tried getting up. “I’ll go grab some stuff from Dad’s study and we’ll get rid of that ugly bruise in no time, okay?” she reasoned, winking.

 _Dad’s study._ Even when he knew she meant no harm by mentioning it, he couldn’t help but feel all sorts of negative emotions again. He looked up at his sister, at the worried smile on her face as she tried to convince him to stay, and was reminded that this was probably the exact reason why their Father loved her more; so affectionate, so bright.

 _“Because she makes it easy to!”_ his Father’s voice echoed in his head. It hurt. He could’ve said, “You are irritable,” and Soren would’ve received the same damage.

However, while he’s probably not the brightest person around, but even _he_ knew not to hate his sister for things she didn’t do. He’d managed for years now; it shouldn’t change today. In an attempt to reason with his temper, he tried recalling when Claudia would make desserts for him on his birthdays when their father would entirely forget about it to celebrate King Harrow’s. Or when she would forego a magic lesson with their Father to cheer for him on his Crownguard examination day. Or when she’d stay by his side when he was down with sickness, holding his hand and saying, “I’m here,” when he started looking for their Mother in his moment of weakness. He made sure not to let those little nice things she did slip off his head just because his Father hurt him.

Groaning, Soren leaned back against the bench and said, “Fine. Go grab your creepy lizard legs or whatever. Be quick, though. Cause, like, I don’t have all day.”

At that, Claudia beamed. “I’ll be back before you finish naming all six Primal Sources!” And she rushed in long strides into the building.

“I don’t even know all six…” Soren mumbled despite knowing his sister couldn’t hear him anymore.

As he waited for Claudia to be back, Soren looked at the sky and tried appreciating it like poets do. He remembered Claudia reading poems to him a couple of times before. Never had he understood the reason poems were written. All of them were so dramatic; describing things as more than what they were. It didn’t suit him well, as he believed only in what he saw. And what he saw was unfair love from his Father.

 _“I love you both equally,”_ his Father had said earlier. How laughable was that, when the man literally had his daughter’s achievements, down to the smallest, lined across his work desk but none of his son’s?

Oh, great, here comes the surge of anger again. Why was it so hard to let go today? It’s definitely not the first time his Father had displayed favoritism but Soren had always taken it like a champ. Well, better than he did today, at least.

Soren could hear what sounded like Claudia’s hurried footsteps and then, from the corner of his eyes, saw her cradling an overstuffed satchel in her arms. She probably had her entire magic ingredients in it.

 _“Your brilliant sister has discovered a new spell again today,”_ his Father had told him earlier; a rare, genuine smile on his face. _“I could not have been more proud. Just a little bit more and she would have her own chapter in the spellbook.”_

Soren was happy for her; he really was. But today was special for him, too. And for once, he wished his Father would be happy for _him_ instead of making it all about Claudia. Again.

In the end, he didn’t even get to tell his Father what today meant for him.

“Hold on,” Claudia said as she poured out everything inside her satchel onto the bench and Soren instinctively scooted over to make room for them; grimacing as he did. “I gotta figure out which healing spell I wanna use today.”

“Just some spit or ointment would’ve been enough, Claudia. Why the hell do I have to look at these monstrosities. Ugh!” Soren pretended to gag.

“Firstly, spit is as unsanitary as it is ineffective," said Claudia as she tossed in many ingredients that Soren wouldn't call sanitary into a rock bowl she called a mortar then crushed everything to mix them into one with an unsatisfying crunch that made Soren shudder and look away. "And secondly, why go the long way when you have the shortcut?” she said in a singsong voice while twirling her pestle in the air.

Soren ducked to dodge a stray substance that flew off because of that movement. Magic was too disgusting.

“Maybe because the long way has a view? Beautiful scenery? A tavern that serves amazing hot pockets along the way?" As Soren talked, Claudia only continued grinding her ingredients while smiling and shaking her head lightly. She wasn't taking him seriously. She probably thought he was joking or didn't know what he's talking about as usual. "I don’t know, maybe we could care less about being fast for once and just focus on enjoying life, Claudia!” he snapped.

Claudia finally stopped what she was doing to raise a brow at him. “Okay, you’re _so_ weird today. What’s going on?”

“I _told_ you I don’t feel like talking about it. Lay off," he growled.

Claudia's gaze lingered for a few more seconds before she gave in and continued grinding again. “Fine. Whatever, Mister Cranky Pants.”

“You’re cranky.”

“Yeah, very mature, Soren.”

Soren mouthed what Claudia said and she rolled her eyes. It was immature of him, he knew, but being immature was basically inevitable during sibling fights. Right? Okay, no, he was being out of line. He discreetly peered at his sister and saw her fully focused on preparing her ingredients and taking it extra slowly. She usually only does that when she's angry. 

“Hey, Clauds?” She ignored him. "Look, I'm sorry, I was being a jerk. You were just trying to be nice," he said softly and he saw her expression shift.

Her hand stopped moving but she was still not looking at him. She was frowning deeply before taking a deep breath and only then did she look at him. She looked like she was demanding something. But he already apologized, so what else did she want?

Oh, right, that.

"You're the best, Claudia." 

The phrase was like a magic spell. Despite Soren's half-hearted tone, she immediately lit up after hearing it. She brought up a free hand and pinched his unharmed cheek affectionately.

"You're forgiven," she giggled.

"Gee, thanks."

Claudia finished preparing her ingredients and performed the healing magic on Soren's cheek. The previously otherworldly revolting ingredients transformed into an explosion of lights and it felt nice against the skin of his cheek when Claudia applied it with her hand. For yet another instance in his life, he appreciated magic despite not being fond of it. Honestly, his love-hate relationship with magic wasn't ending soon, was it?

Observing the result of her work, Claudia looked satisfied as she grabbed his chin and turned his face to as many angles as she could. "Good as new," she said. "The bruise doesn't show anymore but does it still hurt?"

"Nope," Soren said after she poked the general area where the bruise once was.

Claudia nodded with a grin then proceeded to pack her stuff into the satchel again. He thought he'd wait for her before he regroup with his fellow guards since he still had time. 

"Hey, Clauds?"

“Yeaaah?” She was still packing and not looking at him.

“Have you ever, like, y’know, hated me? Or something,” he looked everywhere but at her yet kept his tone casual.

Claudia practically exploded in laughter. “Believe me, you piss me off daily. But hate you, though? No! Wouldn’t even trade you for a hotter, kinder brother who could do magic.”

Soren rolled his eyes at her joke, so maybe he could mask the guilt blooming in him for being the one who had hated her. “Why? I’m kind of, well, mean to you sometimes.”

“Well if that’s what you’re going for then I do mean stuff to you, too. So we’re even. Duh, that’s what being siblings is all about; pissing each other off and forgetting it the next morning!”

“No, Clauds, you don’t get it!” he snapped the second time that day.

At that, her smile dropped and she looked genuinely confused. He hated himself for making her show that face. “Get what?” When he didn’t answer, she pressed again. “Have you, Soren?”

He tried hard not to flinch. “Look, I think my head’s just a mess right now. I had a talk with Dad just now and it didn’t end well so I guess I’m just being a jerk and taking it out on you right now. Sorry, Clauds.”

“Okaaay? But what did you talk about?”

“Nice try, but I already told you I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Hm.” Claudia shrugged. “Worth a try.”

When she continued arranging her stuff (which took too long, couldn't she just dump them all in one place?) he was drowning in guilt again. He was raised to care and love his sister so every time he did anything that make her sad, he couldn't live with it for more than a day. To be frank, he tend to lose sleep over it until he apologized. Claudia once told him she was the same.

“So… is it finally time to congratulate you, Mr. Youngest Crownguard in History?” said Claudia all of a sudden.

Soren blushed. He figured his sister might’ve heard it from words going around the castle but it still caught him off guard because he initially wanted to tell her himself. That was, until his encounter with his Father destroyed his plan. “Uhm, well, yeah, okay, I guess?”

Before he knew it, Claudia was already arranging disgusting ingredients and swiftly working her magic. It made him cringe. He hated magic, especially the creepy and gross ingredients used to make it happen, but every time he saw his sister’s practiced hands move with confidence, knowing clearly what she was doing, he couldn’t help but admire it. Because just like him and swordfighting, magic provided his sister confidence and a sense of self. It’s her identity.

He only wished it was something else. Something that would make their Father love her less, maybe.

As soon as that thought crossed his mind, though, Soren slapped his face hard, startling Claudia who then blinked at him and showed him a look that said she thought he's crazy.

“And this is the last step,” Claudia cheered as she got up from her seat, holding something in her hands that looked like a mashed up version of things Soren could live without knowing, and began her incantation.

“ _Dael ym wollof erif_.” Soren watched her eyes glowed in purple light and shuddered, then fire engulfed her fingertip as she moved it elegantly in the air, as if drawing something.

It took him a while to realize she was actually writing something with the magical fire and it stayed in the air. Once she was done, she threw her arms in the air and cheered, “Ta-da!”

Only then that he started reading it, “Congratulations for passing your test. I’m so happy for you. You’re the best.” A goofy grin split his face as he finished.

“Pretty neat, huh?” she asked with blooming pride. Her ink black eyes, the remaining effect of performing dark magic, made her smile look devilish, but he knew his sister and he knew she was smiling from the bottom of her heart for him.

“Not bad, I guess.” He refused to sound as sappy as how he was feeling.

Claudia brought her hands together and leaned closer to him, then whispered mischievously, “It’s a spell only I know.”

He wouldn’t have known. He didn’t know much about the spells in general. But knowing his sister had something special planned for him never failed to warm his heart. At least somebody in the family still cared about what he felt.

"Thanks, Clauds." He felt so warm inside and didn't know what to do about it. "Thank you so much. Really." It wasn't like him to be sappy and open but he'd say it from time to time just to remind her. Just to let her know that, "I love you so much."

The look on her face was worth it. Her green eyes were already back and now glowing more than before. She was grinning so widely he was sure it hurt.

"You big baby," she cooed then wrapped her arms around him, one hand stroking the back of his head. "Is it really something to cry over?" He didn't even realize he was crying. "Well, I'm touched that you like the surprise so much to cry over it, though. I don't know what you and Dad talked about that made you so upset, but trust me, it'll pass. We're a family and we'll always be. Even if it's hard sometimes, just know that we'll always have each other. I'll always be here for you. Always."

He hugged her back, tightly. "I know," he murmured.

She did. She promised.

She promised she’d always be there for him. He promised her the same much later.

.

.

.

_But why?_

“I’m sorry,” Claudia’s voice was emotionless. Her skin cracking and the amount of white hair she had was getting increasingly concerning. Her eyes were dark and empty. A piece of familiar elf horn in her hand turning to dust.

Soren’s heart broke.

Behind her was Viren; standing with his hands clasped behind him and looking about as bad as Claudia if not worse. What in the name of God happened to the two most important people in his life?

“Stay here,” Claudia told him again as her green eyes very slowly returned to her. It took longer and longer for her black eyes to fade these days. “You’re going to be fine. I fixed you. Now, Callum and the others will keep you safe.”

“I don’t give a fuck about that!” he snapped. “You said!” Soren paused, blood boiling even more at his sister’s lack of reaction. “You said you’ll always be here! For me! We’ll always be together! You promised!”

There was no always. He knew. He knew everything's only kept changing since that day, when sparks were flying everywhere in his hospital room and his sister obtained her first white streak of many to follow. When promises of always seemed to be less and less meaningful and more of a self-allusion. 

“People change, Soren." Claudia looked down at his chained form and despite that intimate gesture of caressing his cheek, it felt so, so cold. "We’re not children anymore. You can’t be deluded by the illusion that is a childish promise.”

“Claudia, it’s time.” Was their Father's equally cold voice.

Claudia still had her eyes on him, like she was trying to memorize his face for the last time, as she answered, “Yes, Father.” And stepped back. One. Two. Three steps. Before she turned around and left with Viren to stand in a rune circle.

“Wait, _no_!" Soren screamed and struggled in his magical restraint. So hard that he felt his skin bled but it didn't let him escape. _"Claudia! Father!”_

None of them even spared him a glance as whirlwind of magic enveloped them and brought them away to god-knows-where. Only then did the binding around Soren release itself. He ignored the pain and crawled desperately towards the rune. It was already gone. He didn't know where they went or if he would ever see them again.

Tears ran down his cheeks and resentment filled the void in his heart. They'd left him and didn't even look back. Claudia said those promises were an illusion. Maybe she was right.

_"I will always be here for you."_

Always was an illusion.

**Author's Note:**

> I've always loved the relationship between Viren, Soren and Claudia. I observed their dynamic both in the show and from these skits at the TDP panel.
> 
> Viren shows favoritism and Soren realizes it but it doesn't let him treat Claudia unfairly (most of the time, at least) because he loves her as much. Claudia is fairly oblivious about the favoritism and she thinks Viren loves them equally. Viren either doesn't realize he prefers one child over the other or he just doesn't want to admit it.
> 
> Either way, I love how these siblings are so affectionate towards each other despite their differences and their rivalry to fight for their only parent's love :)


End file.
